Saints come alive

St Helens scrambled what was ultimately a comfortable victory to keep themselves in second place in the Tetley's Super League table, but only after enduring a woeful first 40 minutes against a spirited Warrington side playing far above themselves.

St Helens may, somewhat understandably, have anticipated an easy passage after running up a total of 128 points from Warrington's two previous visits and they were well aware that Warrington's preparations had been seriously undermined by an horrendous outbreak of food poisoning in the camp which had laid half the side low.

Yet it was Warrington who made the running in the first half with Australian scrum-half Nathan Wood continuing to flit past the markers with uncanny ease as he continued his prolific form of this campaign.

It was Wood's impudent quick tap penalty and dive through three defenders which earned the one try of the first period to send Warrington in deservedly leading 6-2 at the interval.

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Warrington found the Saints' right dangerously fallible as determined charges by first loose forward Mike Forshaw and then towering second rower Mike Wainwright took them clear.

Somehow the Saints defence held, aided by Warrington's erratic finishing, the worst blunder coming when Australian centre Brent Grose scythed through only for Samoan prop Danny Lima to knock on with the line at his mercy.

Warrington were the first to take the lead when Saints prop Keith Mason went high on his opposite Chris Leikvoll, Paul Noone hitting the simple goal.

Paul Sculthorpe countered with a penalty when a line of Warrington players were caught off side.

Saints did get more into the game towards half-time, but centre Willie Talau twice squandered gilt-edged chances with poor final passes, and on the other flank Darren Albert put out an awful ball to young winger Ian Hardman with the line open.

The first 40 minutes had been Saints' most ineffective passage of play so far this season but after Daryl Cardiss had extended the Warrington lead with an early penalty goal on the resumption, Saints at last got their act together. By the hour mark they had pulled themselves out of danger.

Sculthorpe's superb midfield break set up a try in the corner for Albert, and three tries in five minutes by Hardman, Talau, making up for his earlier errors, and then Somoan Maurie Fa'asavalu, who stormed 40 yards to the line, meant that Saints fans could at last breathe easily. Stand-off Jason Hooper later crossed under the posts.